WHEN CHOOSING RAMS

Otago Witness, Issue 3495, 1 March 1921, Page 8

WHEN CHOOSING RAMS

It is the custom of those who are at all keen about the class of rams used in the flock to buy early in the season, although not taking delivery till the breeding season. The buyer thus gets a good selection, and can make use of their services immediately on arrival on the farm or grazing holding, as the case may be; or opportunity is taken at the various ram and ewe fairs held in the chief provincial centres to select certain lots, which are perhaps used for one, two, or more seasons among the flock. The farmer who breeds for fat lambs or the owner of hilly acres concerned with the question as to the best type of wool and suitable freezing-store carcase for the man with fattening acres must hear in mind several facts when buying rams. An injudicious purchase may wreck the work of a lifetime. It is sound horse sense to stick to a certain line of blood and breed which has demonstrated their fitness to evolve, a class of sheep which have proved their ability to “do” well on the particular country in question. The trouble to-day, owing to the* weak demand for wool of certain qualities, is that a buyer may be tempted to “go” in for a \different kind of sheep altogether, despite his own knowledge that his country can turn out shapely sheep capable of growing a class of wool suitable to the environment. He may discard a longwool breed in order to invest in, sav, Corriedales —a sheep which at best necessitates watchful care on heavy land. It is not everyone who can have purebred rams perhaps; but if the price is not too great and the animals till the eye we would lean towards the purebred rather than to the ordinary flock rams. Given quality and good breeding on one side and constitution on the other, the chances of breeding most serviceable lambs are enhanced. What is a sovereign or two on a ram if he will nick in well with the ewe flock? After all, prepotency in a purebred is not to he lightly gainsaid. The sire should, while carrying the class of wool desired, have the lines of a good butcher’s sheep well developed. We don’t so much care for fancy points, but must have flesh well laid on a straight back, with a well-de-veloped leg of mutton and strong bone. Form, size, masculine appearance, should not be overlooked. For oreeding lambsno matter what the breed—we should have rams with good lines, full of masculine and breed character, and carrying flesh well distributed. A wether-headed sheep will never make an impressive sire, and should be avoided. Avoid being lured by the popular fancy and stick to the sheep which will suit the flock and your particular country. The neck of a ram should be powerful, and the head well set on, with the eyes bright and fairly prominent and no sleepiness apparent. Leggy rams will beget their own class, and an ill-clad ram be one’s despair, and together will present a crop of lambs which will eat as much as those of the right type, but fail to handle to the export buyers’ satisfaction when reputed ready as “fats.” Finally, when selecting a ram for fat lamb production, it is worth while securing a sheep with a fat dock and a deep nick down the rump, sure indications of his capacity to get stock capable of maturing early. If rams are in hand some time before they are wanted it is an advantage to provide some extra feed for them. They mar not settle down to eat it, but as the season is short and arduous something extra in the way of supplementary feed is worth considering. With the average farm flock it is not such a. difficult matter to have every ewe wintering on the farm in lamb, if the rams first turned out are marked on the breast with ochre or raddle it is an easy matter to turn out later some young rams with the ewes which have been missed, while “flushing” at tupping time will practically assure a big crop of lambs. A ram in rather better than Held condition will handle, say. 40 ewes. Over this number it is quite feasible to keep the ram in during the day, and feed derately on grain with plenty of green feed and hay, etc., and then turn out with the ewes at night, or turn the ram in with th<#ewes night and morning and put out each ewe as she is mated. After 16 days the mated ewes must be tried again to ensure that none are returning. When the ram is handled with care in this way he will do excessive service without impairing his vitality or pulling him down in condition. The prepotency of a sire varies to a certain extent according to his vitality and constitutional vigour, so that considerable use can be made of him if handled in a iudicious manner.